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Indianapolis Competes for 2018 Super Bowl Bid

May 20th, 2014 at 9:15 AM By Daniel Melin

final presentations in the bid for Super Bowl LII are scheduled for today, and Indianapolis hopes to seal the deal. The presentation, which promises an even bigger and better event than the city's 2012 hosting, is the final chance cities have to state their case for hosting.

This follows an earlier round of pitches from important city, state, and sports figures. Among these was owner Jim Irsay, who spoke for the first time since his February arrest.

The city hosted Super Bowl in 2012, and received praise for its preparedness, organization, and management of the game from multiple commentators, analysts, and news sources. The city featured a Super Bowl Village within walking distance of Lucas Oil Stadium, was the first to be hosted by Indianapolis. It was also only the fourth cold-weather Super Bowl in history.

Although Indianapolis has the success story of the 2012 Super Bowl, the city hopes to expand on their previous effort. The proposed Super Bowl Village will be roughly twice the size of the one erected in 2012, and include light shows, concerts, and light projections onto buildings. The bid will also consider the future of football, by way of a legacy project that will partner numerous athletic associations together to study and address the safety of football players.

The presentation will also feature an appearance by Colts veteran Jeff Saturday as one of the two presenters. Saturday first came to Indianapolis in 1999, and played with the team for twelve seasons. During his time as a Colt, he went to five Pro Bowls, and helped the team to victory in XLI. After becoming a free agent at the close of the 2011 season, he went to the Green Bay Packers for his final season and Pro Bowl. It was there that he was allowed to receive the final snap of his career with Peyton Manning. In March of 2013, he signed a special one-day contract with the Colts, so that he could retire with the team he spent the majority of his career.

Also in the running for hosting duties are Minnesota and New Orleans. Minnesota has not hosted since 1992, but will have the new Viking Stadium completed in 2015. New Orleans was home to Super Bowl XLVII, and will likely use this experience to leverage for another chance to hold the game.

Following final presentations, a finalist will be announced decided by the owners of the NFL, and the bidding process will officially be over.